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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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 Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 5:44 am Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
| I'd challenge you to sit down and talk to your students, friends, or coworkers about what they believe about certain aspects of life, government, and freedom. I think you'd find all their answers are extremely socialistic. |
Your challenge reminds me once when teaching 8th grade public school, I proposed a speaking topic derived from our textbook, that students should talk about things that are wrong with their country. The first boy who raised his hand said "We have to get rid of the Communist Party." You can imagine my surprise although not a single other student reacted as if they were surprised in the least bit. Needless to say, I eased it around to topics like overcrowding, traffic, and pollution. I knew what party the principal belonged to.
I have also known my two brothers-in-law to have heated arguments about value or lack thereof for the Party, at least as far as my wife described it. One thing I have heard said that justifies one party rule was when Thailand was having its disruptions in 2013, it was blamed on multi-party democracy. This came from a young lady who was a graduate of a university in non-Communist but one-party Singapore. I think stability and of course reunification rather than socialism per se are the big drawing cards of the Party.
I think there really is a full range of opinion but it is seldom expressed publicly. |
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ExpatLuke
Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 744
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 6:26 am Post subject: |
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I've had quite a few students who seem to not like the communist party, but when you start asking a bit deeper, you see their Leninist and Marxist ideologies really come out. It's almost like they know its trendy to bash on name, but they still believe in it in principle.
Communism is also not really what I was referring to when I was talking about socialism. Ask them what they think about socialistic programs. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
| Ask them what they think about socialistic programs. |
When I was teaching essay writing in Vietnam [depending on the style of essay we were looking at] I used to often encourage students to give a personal opinion or recommendation at the end of the conclusion. Anyway, if I had a dollar for every time I've read an essay, discussing some problem or other, which ended with the chunk "The government should........." I would have retired to the Philippines years ago  . Free market solutions, be damned! |
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Mattingly
Joined: 03 Jul 2008
Posts: 249
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 8:10 am Post subject: |
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Sgt Welsh,
I agree with your points in your response in the previous page (page 3).
With another arrest of 3 yesterday (or day before) I expect more negativity towards the PTB.
That said, people keep trucking along. It's all they (and we) can do. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 8:54 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, Mattingly.
| Mattingly wrote: |
That said, people keep trucking along. It's all they (and we) can do. |
Yep, same as it ever was. |
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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 3:16 am Post subject: |
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For those of us who are no longer residing in Vietnam, could you tell us what PTB stands for?
| Mattingly wrote: |
| With another arrest of 3 yesterday (or day before) I expect more negativity towards the PTB. |
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Mattingly
Joined: 03 Jul 2008
Posts: 249
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:17 am Post subject: |
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| TRH wrote: |
For those of us who are no longer residing in Vietnam, could you tell us what PTB stands for?
| Mattingly wrote: |
| With another arrest of 3 yesterday (or day before) I expect more negativity towards the PTB. |
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Powers
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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:33 am Post subject: |
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Thanks. Sorry for not being up to date.  |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 8:52 am Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
It's obviously not all roses. There's nowhere in the world that is. But unless you're connecting with the culture on a local level, like within a Vietnamese family, you're always going to just have an outsiders perspective. A lot of the conclusions you draw from this are going to be wrong.
I'd challenge you to sit down and talk to your students, friends, or coworkers about what they believe about certain aspects of life, government, and freedom. I think you'd find all their answers are extremely socialistic. But then again, you can't do this since you've already left the country. |
Thanks for the challenge, but as you pointed out, it's a little hard to do from my present location.
I have a challenge for you now. Do you think that this banding togetherness that you seem so fond of is actually a form of cultural homogeneity, rather than socialism? |
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ExpatLuke
Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 744
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:25 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, I think it's a manifestation of their socialistic values, especially when taken in the overwhelming context of the other examples shown in this thread. |
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